Construction of The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is known throughout the world as an example of ancient China's strategic thinking, excellent military forces, and art. Out of all the wonders of the ancient world the Great Wall is the only structure that can be seen from the moon. That makes sense, however, since the Great Wall stretches over 5,500 miles. A structure of this length took years to complete and hundreds of thousands of builders. There were three different types of these builders, none of them actual professional builders. These laborers were made up of soldiers, common people and criminals. They all worked in very harsh conditions, including working on very steep slopes all throughout the year. Later on, during the Wei-Jing and Southern-Northern dynasties, 265-584 AD, even children had to work on the project. The Great Wall was opened in 206 BC, but the final touches weren't done until after the Wall almost completely collapsed before being built again in the Ming dynasty, around 1368-1644. Since then, the wall has remained virtually unchanged, keeping its original location, material, and structure of little walls, towers, and forts being molded into one, great wall. Although the construction on the Great Wall of China was tedious and cruel, many Chinese people today are proud of their own little wonder of the world.